HARMFUL INGREDIENTS IN PERFUMES

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend but perfumes could give them a run for their money. This is because perfumes are loved not just by women but by men as well and for obvious reasons; everyone wants to smell good. But, what price does that come with? Some fragrances can be highly toxic due to the toxic chemical ingredients in it’s formula.

Oftentimes, these ingredients are not listed because fragrance companies are not legally required to list their ingredients on their labels so consumers have no idea what they could be spritzing on their skin. Although there is an extensive list of said ingredients, here are a few common ones.

ETHANOL

Ethanol is a drying agent used by industries all over the world to make things evaporate quickly. As ethanol evaporates, it can take away the fragrance. This is why fragrances with ethanol in them fade away almost entirely within 1-2 hours. This evaporating effect can be drying as the ethanol will also take your skin’s natural oils, leaving it dry. Ethanol can also be irritating to your respiratory system and trigger asthma and sinus allergies.

PHTHALATES

Phthalates are solvents that help the scents in fragrance last longer. In the past few years, researchers have linked phthalates to asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, breast cancer, obesity, and type II diabetes, low IQ, altered reproductive development, male fertility issues, etc.
Phthalates is a huge class of chemicals but here are a few that have been shown to be harmful:
butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), dibutyl phthalate (DnBP), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-butyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), dipentyl phthalate (DPP), di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), di-isohexyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate (DcHP), and di-isoheptyl phthalate.

MUSK

Musk is a fragrance note in most perfumes today. They give longevity, harmony and a soft, warm human character to a fragrance. Musks used to be extracted from animals but in modern times, synthetic musks like aclicylic musk, polycystic musk, etc have been developed. Some of these synthetic musks are harmful and can disrupt hormone signalling and actions leading to issues like irregular menstrual cycles, birth defects, breast and ovarian cancers, obesity, type II diabetes, bone growth and blood clotting problems, etc. it is also worthy to note that these ingredients can deposit themselves in fat tissue and stay there. They have been found in samples of human breast milk, body fat, blood, placenta tissue, etc.

BENZYL ACETATE

It is a compound formed from the condensation of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid. It has a sweet odor which makes it a popular choice to use in perfumes and cosmetics. Itis also found in plants such as jasmine, ylang ylang, apple, cherry, etc
Some side effects associated with benzyl acetate include:

● It may strip the skin of moisture
● Causes redness/ irritation to the eyes
● Can cause burning sensation, confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, etc when inhaled.

Article credit : Cocci Beauty